Cycleway Coffee, Hermon & Highland Park's Neighborhood (Coffee, Tea, Smoothies 'n More) Meet-up Spot

July 15, 2008

Longtime Biking Enthusiast and Cycleway Champion Dennis Crowley has passed

Second perhaps only to Horace Dobbins, Dennis was the most knowledgeable and enthusiastic visionary advocating biking in Southern California, and the California Cycleway in particular.

Dennis has been a driving force behind many local city improvements for bicyclists, and has been working to rejoin trails, public right-of-ways, and paths to recreate the California Cycleway.

And, if you have not yet heard, he passed away last week.

Dennis had more research on the cycleway than anyone. He was its biggest advocate. And, along with many, many other passions and accomplishments, he led the movement to bring back the cycleway.

I tried to get a hold of him for about a year, finally connecting just a month ago. Actually he contacted me. He had put together a Powerpoint presentation on cycling and the cycleway to share with me; he finished it just last week. We were exchanging emails to meet when he passed away, of an apparent heart attack in his home.

His website, CaliforniaCycleways.org, was the first I found on the original cycleway. A lot of the info I subsequently found about the cycleway had his name on it.

His passing is truly a tremendous shock and loss. Read the remembrances people are writing and you'll begin to appreciate the man he was.

Our thoughts go out to his many, many friends and biking enthusiasts, and to your memory, Dennis.

-- Omar Mata

It seems quite likely that there'll be a memorial ride around town in the coming weeks. We'll post details once available.

• California Cycleways, Dennis's organization
• "Biking advocate Crowley dies", obituary in Pasadena Star-News
• "Bicycling advocate Dennis Crowley dies", obituary in Whittier Daily News

Update July 17, 2008:
Note from Pasadena Vice Mayor, Steve Haderlein:

Last week Pasadena lost an advocate for bicycles. Dennis Crowley died of an apparent heart attack. Dennis was a great advocate of cycling and helped develop and then implement Pasadena's bike master plan.

I plan to adjourn Monday night's City Council meeting in his honor. I invite members of the LA County biking community to join me....6.30 pm at Pasadena's City Hall (100 North Garfield Avenue, about four blocks east of the Memorial Park Gold Line station in Pasadena).